The annual Hinman Student Research Symposium is a national meeting of dental students and graduate trainees who have participated in dental and craniofacial research projects. The Symposium is co-sponsored by the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry and the Hinman Dental Society, with the support of NIDCR, the ADEAGies Foundation, the Procter &Gamble Company, and Meridian Life Sciences, Inc. Support is requested to partially underwrite the Symposium in years 15 through 18 (2009-2012). The Symposium is held at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on a weekend in late October or early November. It features oral and poster presentations of research projects by students from across the U.S. and Canada. The program consists of a welcoming banquet with a nationally known speaker, scientific sessions with awards for the best presentations, exhibits, information about advanced training programs in dental research, and opportunities to get acquainted and tour the host city. To facilitate student participation, one travel award is made to a student from each institution to partially defray costs of attending the Symposium. Additional students from each institution are invited to attend with travel support from their institution. Up to fifteen research mentors and members of the National Advisory Committee are also invited. Food, housing, and entertainment are provided to all participants. University of Tennessee dental students who participated in the Summer Student Research Program present their research studies and act as informal hosts for the visiting students. Aims of the Symposium are to: Recognize, encourage, and reward student achievements in dental research. Provide students with the educational experience of preparing a research presentation and presenting to an audience of their peers. Promote interactions among outstanding students. Facilitate learning about new directions in dental research and the many different areas of current research interest. Inform students about opportunities for advanced training in research and programs to support training. The Hinman Student Research Symposium addresses three important areas of national need: attracting outstanding students into careers in dental research and education;equipping dental practitioners and educators to meet the challenges of advanced technology and emerging oral diseases;increasing awareness among those in the dental profession of the scope, methods, and importance of dental research. Objectives of the Symposium support the mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The annual Hinman Student Research Symposium recognizes, encourages, and rewards dental students and graduate trainees who have participated in dental and craniofacial research projects. The Symposium helps to attract outstanding students into careers in dental research and education to train the next generation of professionals who will serve the nation's oral health care needs.